While you aren’t looking: City economic development news

This is the first installment of many that will tie some news events from other communities and governments that may help make sense of current conditions or challenge your perception of them in North Central DeKalb. The events will be reported here in relatively abbreviated form with some hints as to applicability in the North Central DeKalb “corridor”. As Rod Serling of television’s Twilight Zone said, “submitted for your consideration”, these are seemingly unrelated events that can be speculatively connected.

This column could have just as well have been named “back page news”, or “trees falling in the woods”—the events will affect you, you just won’t recognize it when it does. Here’s an extreme example that challenges the consumer to consider an alternate narrative for events around you. Don’t believe it, as mainstream news outlets expect, but consider what it might mean. http://pro.sovereignsociety.com/99NDPNEW/ENDPQ140/?email=test%40example.com&a=10&o=0&s=0&u=1&l=225102&r=MC&g=0&h=true

This column will attempt to avoid the usual hot buttons related to new cityhood, but will beg you to consider what is happening in traditional cities as applicable to operating new ones. This column will have no position. It will have no preference. It will make few assertions with which to agree or disagree. It will offer opportunities to ask why these events are meaningful to our cityhood movement and challenges to our current government representation.

That said—here’s the first installment of “While You Aren’t Looking: Connect the Dots”. All items are from Tuesday, March 4 Atlanta Journal Constitution:

(1)    Page A9, Legislative Summary, bottom right column—Slums would now be called ‘blight’ House Bill 833 changes the language in the state’s community development programs related to incentives for cities/counties to recruit new employers to low income census tracts. Some criticism of cities/counties is the “slum” stigma placed by the state Urban Redevelopment Zone programs. URZ’s are intended to recruit to census tracts that would not attract private investment otherwise. Regardless, Alpharetta, Roswell and Sandy Springs have had Urban Redevelopment Zones for several years—For your consideration: Govt incentive expansion/attractiveness to citizens; Intercity competition

(2)    Metro Section, Page B3, County By County, “Dekalb” section, middle of column—Construction starts on old DeVry property (East Decatur) The VA will build a specialty care outpatient clinic. The City of Decatur had once had plans for a “mini-downtown” and was to incent revitalization. Property owned by Greenstone Properties (see development type) http://www.greenstone-properties.com/mixed-use-land-development For your consideration: market trends vs expections; nontaxable property; public finance

(3)    Metro Section, Page B4— Clayton ponders aid to hospital May 20 referendum to use a continued SPLOST for Emory Healthcare operated Southern Regional Medical Center. Most of the revenue would be used to retire bonds, but a revenue shortfall due to increases in “nonpayers” is where the urgency comes from. For your consideration: Emory Health expansion, Use of Sales Taxes, demographic and healthcare trends, municipal trends

What you likely would have focused on from the March 4 Atlanta Journal Constitution are two dominant items, the Metro lead articles: Velvet Club shooting in our own North Central DeKalb backyard and “good government” groups asking the City of Atlanta to renegotiate its deal with the Atlanta Falcons to use hotel/motel taxes to underwrite a new football stadium.

I hope to continue doing these once a week.